Peoples’ champion and rapper’s rapper, Bryce Savoy has continued to make good on his September campaign of good Fridays in its third installment: “Black Still.” The single continues his prolific 2020, following his #INDEPENDENCE campaign and four track Bryce Savoy II project crafted in memory of his late uncle. Here, the East Oakland independent artist follows “Hoop Dreams,” “Neighborhood Diamonds,” and “See No Evil,” by teaming up with his cousin, G Maly and South Central’s Bale. The trio trade bars in a series of lyric focused performances spent reminiscing on the past while leaning towards the future.
While the track chiefly highlights the artists’ penmanship, the light, feel-good instrumental underneath is strong: not imposing, but able to define the atmosphere of the track. Bryce returns to an Oakland connection, enlisting time tested collaborator Ashlen Jordan to take on production responsibilities. His laid back instrumental is seasoned with chopped up soul samples and sustained keys, all floating on huge bass hits. The main takeaway though is how these artists muse on trauma in a way to heal and remember. There is a lot of sadness in the track that stems from with lost jobs and lost loved ones, heard in moments like, “Now I know how Ye felt when he lost Donda.” At the same time though, it harbors an importance on coming together and celebration of community.
“Black Still” is available to stream now exclusively on Bryce Savoy’s website along with his current merch run and a link to The Black Neighborhood, a scholarship fund, youth mentorship program, and community outreach program he co-found. G Maly’s website and his merchandise centered around honoring his late brother is also linked below.
Connect with Bryce Savoy: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Connect with G Maly: Instagram | Twitter | Website | Spotify
Connect with Bale: Instagram | Twitter | Website | SoundCloud
